Arrangement for supporting water-storage tanks



Nov. 26, 1968 H. VIESSMANN 3,412,715

ENT FOR SUPPORTING WATER-STORAGE TANKS ARRANGEM Filed Feb. 13, 1967Inventor HANS VIESHQNM w 4451 *QQM United States Patent "ice 3,412,715ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPORTING WATER-STORAGE TANKS Hans Viessmann, Im Hain,Battenberg (Eder), Germany Filed Feb. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 615,550 Claimspriority, application Germany, Feb. 16, 1966,

3 Claims. of. 122-510) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A water storage tankis supported in a boiler housing by support elements, such as supportrings and/or straps spaced about the periphery of the tank, whose endsextend into apertures in corrugations in the end walls of the housingwhich are adjacent to respective end walls of the tank. The supportelement ends are welded into the apertures.

The present invention relates to arrangements for supportingwater-storage tanks in boilers or tank housings. More specifically, theinvention concerns the construction and arrangement of those walls of aboiler or a tank housing which are employed to support the tank at itsbottom.

Water-storage tanks of the type under discussion are mounted inside ofboilers above the combustion chamber or in separate housings associatedto the boiler and are employed for the production and storage of warm orhot water for industrial or domestic use.

In the past, such water tanks have been connected in some way or otherto the adjacent walls of the boiler or housing as by flanges, straps orsimilar connecting means; or they have been provided with an enveloping,close-fitting supporting structure, particularly when the tanks consistof corrosion'resisting but relatively thinwalled material, thesupporting structure then being secured to the adjacent walls of theboiler or housing in any suitable manner.

The space which a water-storage tank occupies when it is mounted in aboiler is about one-third the volume of the boiler or, when the tank isinstalled in a separate housing, about the entire volume of the latter.

As a result, wherever water tanks are mounted in a boiler or separatehousing, it is extremely difficult, and in the space occupied by thetank, even impossible, to provide the boiler or housing walls which areadjacent to the tank bottoms at their inner sides with suitablesupporting means against internal pressure. Hence, these walls can bereinforced only by providing them with stiffening corrugations, as iswell known.

Accordingly, this invention has as its main object to provide a simpleyet efficient supporting arrangement for a water-storage tank, whichpermits the tank to be easily fitted into a boiler or housing andaccurately located therein with a view toward securing it in place as bywelding and which at the same time provides for a sufficient stiffeningof the boiler or housing walls concerned.

According to the invention, an arrangement for supporting water-storagetanks in boilers or tank housings is characterized in that the boiler orhousing end walls adjacent to the bottoms or end walls of the tank areprovided with perforated corrugations to which elements for supportingthe tank are connected in the spaced apertures of the corrugations inthe boiler or housing walls.

Normally, the tank supporting elements are interconnected bylongitudinal bar or strap members disposed in spaced relationship on andabout the overall periphery of the supporting elements, the straps orbars being Patented Nov. 26, 1968 rigidly secured to the tank supportingelements. Through the eneveloping supporting structure thus obtained theopposite walls of the boiler or housing are capable of supporting eachother after proper location of the supporting elements, the resultingreinforcement of the walls against internal pressure being furtherpromoted by the circular stiffening corrugations of the invention.

Another advantage of the corrugations consists in that they considerablyfacilitate the assembly of the boiler as well as the installation of thewater-storage tank, since the tank with its supporting elements orenveloping supporting structure can be easily and accurately positionedin the interior space of the boiler because of the locating effect ofthe corrugations in the opposite walls of the boiler. In contrast,considerable difficulties have normally heretofore been encountered inthe positioning of a tank inside of a boiler, because the tank must bemounted between walls in which no apertures are provided.

In cases in which a water-storage tank requires a close-fitting,enveloping structure of the type described above, the arrangement of theinvention thus makes it possible to assemble the tank and its supportingstructure completely outside of the boiler, after which the tank withits enveloping supporting structure is then installed in the boiler. Asimilar advantage is attained, if supporting elements such as rings areemployed instead of an enveloping supporting structure. Here too, thesupporting rings can be easily fitted in place, they being used not onlyto support the tank but also to aid in the stiffening of the boilerwalls.

The attachment of the supporting elements as by welding can be effectedwithout difiiculties, since according to the invention the stiffeningcorrugations are perforated. Thus the supporting elements can be securedin place from the outside of the boiler as by welding them to thecorrugations in the area of the perforations thereby making the latterwatertight. The perforations can be formed in any suitable manner as bypunching, during the process in which the corrugations are pressed intothe boiler-wall material.

In the following, several embodiments of the invention will be describedby way of example only, reference being had to the appended drawings, inwhich FIGURE 1 is a schematic front view of a housing in which twowater-storage tanks are disposed one above the other, and

FIGURE 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a boiler with water tankmounted.

For sake of clarity such parts as tank inlet and outlet, insulation andcovering of the tank housing or boiler, constructional details of thetank supporting structure or the like, which are not deemed necessary toan understanding of the invention, have been omitted from the draw ings.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there are shown at 1, circular corrugations inthe front wall 2 of a housing accommodating two water-storage tanks. Therear wall of the housing, which is not depicted in the drawing, is alsoprovided with corrugations similar to those in front wall 2. Each of thecorrugations has a plurality of holes 3 sealed off with short welds bywhich tan-k supporting elements such as rings (not specifically shown inFIG. 1) are rigidly secured to the front and rear walls of the housing.

FIG. 2 shows a similar supporting arrangement in which a water tank 4 ismounted in the upper section of a boiler. Here too, the tank is held inplace by means of supporting rings 5 which are interconnected bylongitudinal strap or bar members 6 extending in spaced relationshipalong the tank at its periphery. FIG. 2 shows how the supporting ringsengage into the grooves formed by the corrugations 1. As becomesapparent from this figure, the corrugations are used not only to supportthe tank but also to stifien the boiler walls 7 and 8.

Of course it is not absolutely necessary that the corrugations be bentoutwards, although this may be the most advantageous shape. Thus theycould also be bent inwards and be of a diameter larger or smaller thanthat of the respective tank supporting elements, in which case thesupporting rings would supportingly overlap the corrugations at theirlower or upper sides. The holes in the corrugations would then belocated in the respective side portions of the corrugations.

Nor is it imperative that the corrugations be circular as describedabove. Rather strip-like corrugation sections could also be employedwhose shape would be controlled by the contours of the respectivecross-section of the tank. If it is desired to do without supportingrings, the longitudinal supporting bars 6 would then directly engageinto the grooves formed by the strip-like corrugation sections. In sucha case the bars would be held in place relative to each other by meansof one or several transverse strips or bands, thus simplifying theassembly.

What is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A support arrangement for a water storage tank in a housing, whereinthe housing has two end walls and the tank has two end wallsrespectively adjacent the end walls of the housing, comprising acorrugation in each housing end wall, the corrugations extendingsubstantially in registry with the periphery of the tank and eachcorrugation defining apertures spaced from each other, support elementsfor the tank and in supporting engagement therewith, one end of thesupport elements extending into the apertures of the corrugations ineach housing end Wall, and means for rigidly serving the support elementends in said apertures and for sealing the apertures.

2. The support arrangement of claim 1, wherein the support elements aresupport rings.

3. The support arrangement of claim '2, wherein the support elementsfurther include straps spaced about the periphery of the tank andinterconnecting the support rings.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,373,731 4/1945 Wilson et al122-32 FOREIGN PATENTS 761,884 1/1953 Germany. 782,899 9/1957 GreatBritain.

KENNETH W. SPRAGUE, Primary Examiner.

